Changing Reflections
by crysthur and artheph
Summary: She finds a sort of happiness and accomplishment in something entirely new.


Artheph's Note: Ahhh, I have finally pushed myself to finish this little project o' mine. I can now add a "FINITO" to our fic statuses thing. THAT brings a sense of accomplishment. Spring break is great. Yeah, so this is a little...AU-ish I supposed you could say, though it is set in Konoha and everyone's still a ninja. Then would it be OOC-ish? But I tried to keep everyone pretty much in character. Hm. Well, you can decide...so enjoy!

* * *

She loved to paint. Moving her arm in wide, arched strokes or in little dabs was like a kind of healing physical therapy. The scratching sound the brushes created were music to her ears. The colors on the canvas jumped and sprawled all over, producing fantastical images only for her eyes.

Forlorn scenes of destruction, serene images of nature, majestic imaginings of a youthful mind, or even just a wild splash of vibrant colors came from her brushstrokes. She loved to paint, perhaps even more than she loved being a ninja. In fact, after training, she was always found in the studio, painting away the hours. Her father outwardly disapproved of her hobby, believing there was a direct correlation between the ever-lengthening hours of painting and what he thought were ever-lessening hours of training. But she knew her father secretly loved her paintings, as he often hung her newest masterpieces in his room.

Personally, she liked using calligraphy brushes the best, probably because calligraphy painting represented her in so many ways. It was mostly light, smeared, background, watery spreads, just like how she never cried for attention and was quiet, timid. However, sometimes, it called for bold, dark strokes, similar to how in a few situations, she was courageous and strong. Also, using calligraphy brushes required meticulous, careful movements, and she was always cautious and aware. And those infrequent wild, free arcs of color symbolized the times when she opened herself to the world.

However, she was not the only Hyuuga who loved to paint. Hizashi did too when he was alive. His paintings were displayed even in the Main House area. Maybe those Hyuuga eyes not only helped in the ninja aspect but also enhanced the Hyuugas' artistic abilities. Maybe those Hyuuga eyes could clearly see the individual brushstrokes necessary to create a whole image, like having a sort of x-ray vision and seeing all the layers of color. Maybe those Hyuuga eyes could solve the puzzles of how everything was put together, so they could recreate it on canvas. Whatever it was, the clan had always produced famous artists, and though they may have been slightly shunned by the other Hyuugas for not being a fully accomplished ninja, they had gained quite a reputation in the rest of Konoha. Many of the richest villagers had a rare Hyuuga painting hanging in their homes.

* * *

"Hokage-sama? Did you want to see me?" Hinata asked.

Tsunade looked up from her paperwork. "Oh yes. You do know of the Konoha beautification project? We've decided that Konoha needs a little 'cleaning up,' so to speak, after our multiple wars."

Hinata nodded.

"Now this is where you come into play. We've heard about your artistic abilities, and we were hoping you could do something with the buildings around here? Perhaps add some color? You'll be given complete independence."

"Umm…but…" Hinata bit her bottom lip.

"Oh, don't worry. Your father completely agreed to it. In fact, he was the one who recommended you for the project."

A light blush tinged her cheeks. "Then I would be happy to do it."

She requested no help, though Tsunade was willing to give any necessary extra hands. Instead, during her free time, she stayed inside studio, sketched her ideas, and refused to tell anyone her ideas for the village. Clichéd as it sounded, she wanted to prove to her father that he had made the right decision in suggesting his elder daughter, and maybe she wanted to prove to herself that just once she could do something on her own. A sad existence life is, the one goal - to prove self worth. Hinata, just as everyone else does, fell hard for the routine. And after months of inhaling chemical fumes, wearing down brushes, and fierce scrubbing of paint-dappled hands, she was ready to have her work seen by Konoha.

She had decided to paint murals to shape up the more rundown buildings and to add a more natural feeling to the more modern ones. Most consisted of little children, running through the fields, playing pretend ninja, asking for food at a vendor in the market place. There were adult jounins, waving, about to leave for a mission at the gate and a chuunin teacher lecturing to a group. Though all were greatly detailed, by far the most awe inducing was the mural that spanned a wooden fence along an empty lot. Attempting to capture everything that Konoha represented, Hinata painted a mirror, reflecting the village itself. In the background posed the great Hokage faces, etched into a mountain. Every person had been included, performing their respective activities; for instance, Ayame and the old man ran the Ichiraku stand, Iruka stood before the academy, Izumo and Kotetsu guarded the entrance to the Hokage tower, Tsunade stood proudly on the platform. However, Hinata added her own touches to add a little humor and her own perspective on the personal relationships among the villagers. Neji was holding his hand out to Tenten, while Gai and Lee had a "youthful passionate glow" in their eyes. Naruto and Sasuke were purposely ignoring one another, with Sakura and Kakashi shaking their heads. Hinata, herself, was petting Akamaru's head, Kiba was laughing and prodding Shino's shoulder, and Kurenai watched over motherly. Ino was scolding Shikamaru, while Chouji and Asuma were happily eating at the barbecue grill restaurant. The number of people went on as the painting greedily ate up the wooden surface.

She stood to the side of it, biting a fingernail as nervous habit. Suddenly, she felt a hand rub her shoulder reassuringly. Glancing up, her eyes met those of her father's.

"Good work, Hinata."

She smiled.

Her goal? Accomplished.

Meanwhile, in the midst of the crowd gathering in front of the newly uncovered mural, Tenten blushed, and Neji avoided everyone's glances.


End file.
